The biggest story of camp leading up to the season for the Hawkeyes was who would start at quarterback in week one. Kirk Ferentz stated days before the game that both QBs would be getting their chance, and the game vs. Northern Illinois would be the factor in deciding who would command the offense going forward (subject to change, of course). Even with a question mark at the quarterback position, the Iowa charge was still explosive, a term that is rarely used for that side of the ball.

Hank Brown would start first, and he immediately got to work. Four consecutive first downs powered a 10-play, 75-yard drive. Brown capped it off on 3rd & goal with a 6-yard TD strike to transfer wideout Tony Diaz for the season’s first points.

Diaz is a redshirt sophomore transfer out of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley who made a lot of noise during camp. That noise continued into his first game, as the Texas native saw 15 targets, catching seven of them for 84 yards and a score to lead Iowa receivers. The highly recruited transfer selected Iowa over Alabama, and now that he’s got his first game in the books, the hype is very real about what he can accomplish for this offense.

But the true key to the offense’s high-flying day was Kamari Moulton and the offensive line creating some enormous holes. On just 11 touches, Moulton wrecked the Huskies’ defense, totaling 183 yards with two long touchdown runs, his longest coming from 50 yards. He accumulated over 60% of Iowa’s 289 rushing yards, immediately setting the tone that Iowa’s run game hasn’t gone anywhere.

Meanwhile for the QB battle, Brown had a strong showing. The 6 ‘4 redshirt junior finished the day going 12/20 for 129 yards and a touchdown, and helped the Hawkeyes capture a 20-0 lead in the first quarter. While there were a couple miscues, Brown had a very consistent day, resting his case that he can manage Iowa’s offense and keep them productive.

As for his competition, the gunslinger Jeremy Hecklinski saw some struggles. He went 7/16 for 76 yards and a touchdown with a 4th-down goal-line interception. While he made some impressive throws (and catches on a couple of high snaps), a couple of passes were off the mark or a touch inaccurate. The offense’s momentum noticeably dipped when Hecklinski entered the game for the first time. While it’s unlikely this is the last we will see of Hecklinski, it’s fair to assume that we know who Iowa will be moving forward with to lead Tim Lester’s offense.

As for the other side of the ball, the word ‘domination’ would be an understatement for how the defense performed. From start to finish, NIU quarterbacks Jalen Macon and Taron Dickens were under constant pressure. Iowa’s defense tallied up six sacks and forced two turnovers, as the Huskies didn’t gain a single first down until a Hawkeye defensive pass interference with 4:14 left in the 3rd quarter.

The Huskies’ run game was non-existent, with 31 attempts going for just seven yards. Iowa’s front seven burst into the backfield snap after snap, leaving NIU with little breathing room as the Hawkeyes racked up seven tackles for loss.

The highlight of the day came on special teams. Iowa’s original punt returner to start the game was Reece Vander Zee, but it was Evan James who took a punt return all the way for a 77-yard TD that pushed Iowa’s lead up to 40-0 late in the third. It seems the special teams magic is still present in the 319. Quarterback Jimmy Sullivan finished the game for Iowa, running out the rest of the clock.

Iowa finished the game with a 40-0 win, pitching their second season-opening shutout in three years, their last coming in 2024 against Illinois State. They put together 507 total yards of offense, their first time cracking 500 since 2019. Aside from some cleanup needed in their goal-line offense and general operation, the Hawkeyes played a very strong game all around. They will be riding high next week when they play under the lights at home against their rivals, Iowa State. The Cyclones have gotten the best of Iowa the past two seasons, so to say that this is a highly sought-after win is putting it lightly. 

The post Hot Start: Hawkeyes Dismantle NIU in 40-0 Shutout as Brown and Hecklinski Compete for Starting Job appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Iowa Hawkeyes

On Monday, Iowa released their depth chart for this weekend’s game against Northern Illinois. While there were some surprises up and down the roster, fans really only cared about one thing: who would win the starting quarterback job.

All summer long, coaches and players remained tight-lipped as reporters dreamed up new ways to ask the same question over and over again. The stalemate persisted into late August, even after Jeremy Hecklinski outperformed Hank Brown in the Kids’ Day public practice. Come the week of the game, it was time for Kirk Ferentz to make a selection. Hecklinski or Brown. Pick one.

Instead, Ferentz took the “or” in “Hecklinski or Brown” to heart, deciding it effectively meant the same thing as “and”, even though the words are supposed to mean opposite things.

Even if both QBs are listed as the starter on paper, only one of them can truly start the game. I don’t think Kirk Ferentz is planning on trying out two quarterbacks under center at the same time, like some sort of twisted rendition of the wildcat formation. Based on how close the battle has been, I’m expecting nothing less than identical stat lines from each of them.

USC Trojans

One of the funnier stories around the Big Ten this week has been the drama coming out of Southern California. Lincoln Riley’s Trojans are already in hot water despite winning 42-26 in a game that was never close.

The story surrounding USC is not about how they played, but that nobody went to their game. Sure, it was over 100 degrees outside, and it was against San Jose State, and there’s a lot of other air-conditioned ways to have fun in Los Angeles, but Riley was brought in to revitalize a Trojan program that’s supposed to be the main event, even in a city like L.A.

Basically, if your crowd is so small that calling it a crowd becomes a misnomer, you’re off to a bad start regardless of how many points you won by. The record may show otherwise, but USC is 0-1 in the court of public opinion.

Oregon Ducks

The closest thing to a real game in the Big Ten in week one will take place in Eugene, where the Oregon Ducks and known New York Jets avoider Dante Moore will face off against Boise State.

Boise is very much not the conventional week one opponent that nearly every other team is playing this week. The Broncos and their weird blue field are receiving votes in the AP poll and were also picked to finish as PAC-12 champions.

It should still be a win for a Ducks team that’s thinking of playing deep into January again. But while Oregon regularly wins the coolest uniform national championship, they’ve been knocked out by the real national champion in both installments of the 12-team playoff.

Michigan Wolverines

The last game I’m looking at is Michigan vs Western Michigan.

It’s no secret that the Wolverines have undergone some “changes” this offseason, so how they look against Western Michigan will be of note to a lot of other College Football Playoff hopefuls in the Big Ten, including Iowa.

Quarterback Bryce Underwood is coming off a good-not-great freshman season and has sky-high expectations after being the #1 overall national recruit in 2025. They’ve also got a new head coach in Kyle Whittingham, who left Utah after 21 years at the helm.

More Games

Because it’s week one, I’ll give you some bonus recommendations.

If you’re a bloodthirsty sicko: Ohio State is favored by over 50 points against Ball State. If what you really miss is the NFL: Notre Dame and Wisconsin will be roleplaying as Bears-Packers at Lambeau Field. And if you just can’t wait until Saturday: Rutgers, Minnesota, and Illinois kick off their seasons on Thursday night to the delight of Friday discussion section leaders everywhere.

College Football is back, and everyone’s having a great time. Just don’t ask the SEC.

The post Around the Big Ten – Week One appeared first on KRUI Radio.

On one hand, it’s a symbol of what could have been. A trip to the Final Four cut just short for head coach Ben McCollum and his unlikely team. On the other, it’s a reminder of how many people they’ve proven wrong. How many brackets they’ve broken. And how, after a year of uncertainty, a team of dreamers dragged Iowa basketball back into belief.

The Run of a Lifetime

After losing five of their final seven games before the NCAA tournament, Iowa wasn’t exactly on a roll. But considering they hadn’t made it to the big dance since 2022-23, it still seemed like fans were content with the season and excitement McCollum had brought back to Iowa City.

The team, however, was anything but satisfied.

The #9 Iowa Hawkeyes won a toss-up game with #8 Clemson behind a free-throw frenzy where Iowa made 24 of their 31 attempts at the line. One down. And with it, something started.

Just 48 hours after the win, they shocked the basketball world by beating Florida, the reigning champions, in the final seconds. Down by two points, Iowa senior Bennett Stirtz took the inbound and dribbled it past half court. Finding himself caught between two Gators trying to foul him, Stirtz dished it off to Alvaro Folgueiras, who hit the game-winning shot with 4.5 seconds left to play. The final buzzer sounded, cementing a storybook score on the jumbotron: 73-72, Iowa. From there, a Midwest motto was born.

“March is for the dreamers,” Folgueiras said after the game. “And there’s no better dreamer than us.”

Four days later, the dreamers took on Nebraska in their first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 1999. Both squads shot the lights out, but incredible performances from Iowa role players Tate Sage (19 points) and Folgueiras (16 points), along with Stirtz’s 20 points, lifted Iowa up and over the Cornhuskers. 77-71. Another win, another chapter closed.

Last night, their story came to an end against Illinois in the Elite Eight. The dream was over. And while for a split second it felt like the world was ending, it didn’t take long for fans and school alumni to express endless support for a team that will never be forgotten. Tweets and posts flooded social media, with praises and pictures of how much hope this team gave them. From half-empty arenas last season to jam-packed student sections and a historic tournament run this year, the energy was back for this program.

This team was special for a multitude of reasons. The lowest Big Ten seed to ever reach an Elite Eight. A roster built from places far outside the spotlight. A group that believed, with almost delusional conviction, that they could just keep winning. That they could restore hope to a dwindling fanbase.

And for nine days in March, they did just that. They made everyone believe.

Smile Because it Happened

There is something very uncomfortable about watching grown men cry. Especially when you’re in a room surrounded by them.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve seen it once or you’re a seasoned veteran, numb to the emotions that follow such a gut-wrenching tournament’s end. It’s weird. It’s hard. As close to twenty media members stuck microphones and camera lights in the faces of young athletes, illuminating dried tears and crusty lips, it felt necessary to seek out a smile.

The question: what would your 10-year-old self think about this journey?

Bennett Stirtz: “I always wanted to play college ball, but he wouldn’t believe this. It’s been pretty cool.”

Tate Sage: “He’d be pretty happy. Especially being able to stay up past my bedtime and watch myself on the TV.”

Kael Combs: “I wouldn’t believe it. I’ve worked so hard to get here. I’d tell him not to change a thing. “

Brendan Hausen: “Believe you can. Dream on. There will be lots of highs and lows, but just believe.”

Cooper Koch: “It’s fun. Enjoy practicing with these guys every day and lifting during the season. Trust the process and take it all in. You only get four years of it.”

One by one, reporters started to fade away as they got the answers they needed. When the players were done, they removed their sweat-soaked black and gold jerseys and tossed them into a tattered black Nike suitcase in the middle of the floor. Some laughed, shooting it like a basketball as they hugged their teammates. Others solemnly dropped their tank top time capsule of memories into the bag.

Just a Dream

After the locker rooms cleared completely, Ben McCollum emerged from the hallway to stand in front of a black and blue foldable March Madness backdrop. His usual white dress shirt and gold tie were nowhere to be seen, likely creased and damp, bearing the marks from a game he’ll think about for days.

His voice was steady, but his eyes told a different story. The kind that comes from knowing how close you were. The kind that doesn’t fully settle in until much later.

He talked about Bennett Stirtz, and how the journey they’ve taken together is “a little ridiculous.” How he followed him from school to school. How the University of Iowa feels like home.

For a moment, he paused, reflecting on just how far they’d come.

“We were just in Maryville, Missouri,” he said. “And now we’re playing in the Elite Eight.”

He laughed.

“Man, I almost said Final Four.”

The post A Team of Dreamers appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Less than 24 hours after the Iowa Men’s Basketball team found themselves celebrating a historic March Madness victory over the #1 seed Florida Gators, the women were on the receiving end of a crushing March defeat. An 83-75 loss to the #10 seed Virginia Cavaliers in double overtime.

Alvaro Folguerias’ clutch three pointer won the game for the men. The women lost because they couldn’t get one for themselves.

The basketball gods work in mysterious ways. Maybe that’s the price of a miracle.

The struggles that doomed the women’s team against Virginia were the same ones that nearly ended their season on Saturday against the #15 seed Fairleigh Dickinson Knights: three point shooting.

Iowa went 1-for-13 from deep against FDU. They closed out the first half against Virginia with an eerily similar mark of 1-for-12.

“When I briefly looked at the box score, I didn’t believe we deserved to win it,” head coach Jan Jensen said after the game.

Iowa finished 5-for-29 from downtown against Virginia, but it would be a mistake to reduce their season to their three point struggles down the stretch. This year was a resounding success. 

They went from being picked to finish outside the top five in the Big Ten to being conference tournament runner ups and a March Madness #2 seed. They suffered an injury to a key senior in Taylor McCabe and seemed to get even better with breakout sophomore Taylor Stremlow starting in her place. Two of their best players were sophomore center Ava Heiden and guard Chit-Chat Wright. Those two made 1st and 3rd Team All-Big Ten respectively.

But the loss also marks the end of Hannah Stuelke, Kylie Feuerbach, Jada Gyafmi, and McCabe’s storied careers. The last key contributors from Iowa’s national championship bids in 2023 and 2024.

“Spending time with these girls has been such a blessing to me,” Stuelke said.

“It’s just really hard to process those emotions, and it’s really hard to know that I won’t be able to play again,” Feuerbach said.

When the clock hit zero in Iowa City, Stuelke tearfully embraced her mother as a swarm of photographers descended upon the scene. The same thing played out in Tampa Bay when Folguerias found his mother in the stands. Their emotions could not have been more different.

Grief and glee. The dichotomy of college sports.

The post The Price of a Miracle, Women’s Basketball Iowa v. Virginia appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Tonight, against the reigning March Madness champion Florida Gators, Folgueiras pointed to his father just once all game. But with 4.5 seconds to play, down by two points, he hit the game-winning shot, the shot of his life, and connected with his father once more.

After a great defensive stand from Iowa in the waning seconds, the final buzzer sounded. 73-72. Hawks win. And for the first time since 1999, Iowa punched their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen.

Folgueiras celebrated briefly with his teammates before booking it over to the stands. There, his mother Beatriz awaited. Friday’s round one game was the first time she’d seen him play in an Iowa uniform in person. Tonight was the second. It’d been two years since they said “I love you” face-to-face.

“Having my mom here, she’s everything for me,” Folgueiras said with a smile after the game. “I’m so lucky to have her as a mom.”

The 6-foot-10 junior finished the magical night with 14 points, second in scoring behind Tavion Banks with 20. Bennett Stirtz, Iowa’s consistent scoring leader, was ice cold all night, shooting 0-for-9 from behind the arc. Ultimately, of course, that lack of scoring from the captain didn’t matter.

“It was my teammates tonight,” Stirtz said. “We’re just so unselfish.”

Ironically, it was Stirtz who dished the final assist to Folgueiras to win the game. Practice what you preach.

This year has been up and down for the Hawks. A new head coach. Close games against #1 Michigan. Abysmal losses to Penn State, who ranked last in the big ten. But this month is in a league of its own. And Folgueiras, tonight, felt the madness more than anyone.

“March is for the dreamers,” he said. “And there’s no better dreamer than us.”

The post No Better Dreamer Than Us appeared first on KRUI Radio.

As the final horn and a couple of loud pops echoed around the cavernous Gainbridge Fieldhouse court, the Iowa Hawkeyes quickly and quietly exited into their locker room. The same way they entered, the same way they played.

At the same time, a downpour of blue and white confetti rained from the rafters. The colors of the UCLA Bruins. The colors of the Big Ten champions.

Some scores don’t tell the full picture of what happened in a game. UCLA 95, Iowa 41 certainly does.

While the Bruins are a Big Ten college basketball team on paper, in practice, they are a collection of soon-to-be professionals, getting their last licks in on the rest of the college basketball world.

Four of UCLA’s starting five are projected top 10 picks in the upcoming WNBA draft. It’s a roster that boasts Big Ten Player of the Year Lauren Betts, First Team All-Big Ten Kiki Rice, Second Team Gabriela Jaquez, and Gianna Kneepkens.

“Most of us have one or two go, but they have a lineup like that,” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said.

UCLA didn’t just beat Iowa. Beat is when you lose by 10. A blow out is when you lose by 20. Brutalized is 30. There isn’t even a word to describe a 51 point loss.

And this was the championship game. In theory, between the two most deserving, battle tested squads.

UCLA’s quarterfinal against Washington on Friday was close for three quarters, until the Bruins pulled away to win 78-60. Their semifinal bout with Ohio State was stress free the entire way through, finishing 72-62 Bruins.

Iowa cruised to a 64-58 win in their quarterfinal game vs Illinois that only looked close in garbage time. Then on Saturday, the Hawkeyes put together one of their best fourth quarters of the year to pull away from Michigan 59-42. 

“In that fourth quarter, to start it, I just had everybody do a zen moment,” Jensen recalled.

After the championship game opened with a Taylor Stremlow three pointer, the ensuing 13-0 Bruin run snapped the Hawkeye flow state. Iowa never recovered.

“If you let that margin get a little too great, you can never really ever shrink it,” Jensen said. 

Against a team like UCLA, there is zero margin for error. Not when your basketball team contains nine freshmen and sophomores. Not when UCLA has eight seniors and grad students. Not when you shoot 21% from beyond the arc and UCLA shoots 50%.

Throughout the second half, a steady stream of Iowa fans made their way to the exits at each break. As they did, “Carver East” felt more and more like East L.A.

The Bruins never let up. They closed out the game making nine of their last nine baskets. Iowa went one for nine in the same stretch.

At the end, there were no tears as the Hawkeyes left the court. Just stunned silence. A reality check for a group with all the momentum in the world.

If the semifinal win against Michigan was the best game of the year for Iowa, the championship was by far the worst. The 51 point margin of victory was the biggest ever in a Big Ten Championship game. It was the largest margin of defeat for Iowa in 50 years. 

“Disappointments and setbacks make losers bitter, but they make winners better,” Jensen said after the game. 

There’s no doubt Iowa will be better when they host the first two games of their March Madness run in two weeks. When their run inevitably leads them into another national championship contender, though, is when they’ll need to prove it.

The post Powerless in Indianapolis: UCLA Dismantles Iowa in Big Ten Tournament appeared first on KRUI Radio.

“I’m calling both games” is also the rationale I gave to my professors on why I skipped both of my classes on Tuesday, February 17th.

I blame the baseball team.

See, it was only supposed to be basketball. Iowa vs Nebraska, 8 pm. Well after both classes would have ended for the day.

The baseball home opener was supposed to be a week later on February 24th, but they saw an opportunity to fit a game in between their season opening tournament in Arizona and their first weekend series against Florida Atlantic. That’s how Division III UW-Platteville found themselves in Iowa City for what would turn out to be a historic beatdown.

Of course, we didn’t know that going in. The Hawkeyes lost three midweek games last season and had just allowed 13 runs to Northeastern on Sunday, so we figured the final score might end up something like 13-5 Iowa.

With first pitch at 3:00 pm, five hours before tip-off for basketball, we jumped at the opportunity to be there and were rewarded with 50 degree weather.

That’s important because all KRUI baseball games are called outdoors. Color commentator Logan Melia and I were planning to call the February 24th game regardless of the weather, so we really lucked out.

“God, the pop of the mitt, Ryan. I’m tickled to be back,” Logan said after the first pitch.

Four innings later, with the score 17-0 in favor of Iowa, his enthusiasm had dampened, as had his nose, which was running relentlessly. 

“Once your team scores the 22nd run, you start thinking: ‘let’s wrap it up’. It gets to a point where you pretty much know what team’s going to win and that point was reached probably about three hours before the end of the game,” Logan said later that day.

Morale dropped to mutinous levels after the seventh inning concluded and Iowa was up 27-3, when the usual 10 run mercy rule was not applied.

At that point, the sky had undergone a transition from light gray to baby blue to orange and pink and purple before the sun finally disappeared for good. Without it, the wind that had been chilly all game became a polar vortex.

When I turned to Logan and said “sounds like we’re playing two more”, his agonized response was a sign that we had seen enough and should head across the street to Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Overall impressions from the baseball team: don’t go to a game if you have something else to do later in the day. There will be a lot of runs scored at the Banks this year.

Next, we met up with Cole Krueger, who I would be calling basketball with. 

At the start of the season, nobody thought never-won-a-march-madness-game Nebraska would be ranked top 10 in the country in late February. But as the Huskers kept winning and Iowa hung around in the standings, it quickly shaped up to become the biggest game of the year so far for the Hawkeyes.

And man did they need this one. We’d been saying they were going to get one of the two home games against Purdue and Nebraska, though last Saturday’s demoralizing 78-57 loss to the Boilermakers cast some doubt on that theory.

Where Nebraska had wins over highly ranked Illinois and Michigan State teams, Iowa was a team without a signature result on the season. They’d had chances, like having halftime leads against Iowa State and Purdue on the road, but had never capitalized. Worse, they had been struggling recently, with a bad road loss to Maryland and the aforementioned blowout at home to Purdue. 

Their most impressive game this season might have been outlasting a fiery USC team at the end of January, which was a game they were always supposed to win anyway.

But something flipped in this one, as the Hawks defensive intensity, coupled with a vicious crowd, frustrated the Huskers all night.

Head coach Ben McCollum has made a point to thank the fans after every game and let them know how important they are to the team. Although attendance has been up this year compared to last, I had yet to see a student section as packed as it was for this one. Filled in from top to bottom, clad in black. A healthy amount of Nebraska fans in red and white were scattered throughout the stands as well.

Pretty quickly, it became apparent that this was going to be the opposite of the baseball game earlier. Blowout vs nailbiter. Scoring at will vs a defensive slog. Can you believe that Iowa baseball scored more runs than either basketball team had at halftime?

Cole kept saying how it felt like Iowa could have been up 10, but both teams struggled from three all night. And in the second half, things began to get chippy. Multiple players went down away from the play, always without a whistle.

Down the stretch, as had been the case all year, Bennett Stirtz made the difference. With six minutes to go, he went down hard after contacting Brayden Frager on a layup. Then after a break that gave him a chance to walk it off, Stirtz hit a sidestep three in Frayger’s face to give the Hawks a 50-45 lead.

With Iowa up two scores and under a minute to go, the fans began to make their way to the staircases.

Not to go up and beat traffic. Down to rush the court.

Iowa fans have been starving for a storming opportunity. Twice during the football season they lined up against Indiana and Oregon, and twice they were sent home empty handed, watching their team lose the lead in the final two minutes.

Some icy free throws from Cooper Koch and Tavion Banks made it official. An outpouring of black engulfed the court to celebrate the Hawks’ first signature win in the Ben McCollum era.

Then, we quickly signed off the air and went down to join in on the celebrations.

“I just feel so lucky to have been there to see that game,” Logan said.

“It was just like a monkey off the back feeling,” Cole added.

Even though the team’s March fate still hangs in the balance, this one will go a long way to help them realize it.

The post I’m Calling Both Games appeared first on KRUI Radio.

He’s been doing this for the last eighteen years. Since 2008, Shaver has climbed that same ladder and across a wooden bridge that looks like it could collapse if you took a bad step. After one sharp right turn and about thirty feet later, a high-top chair, a headset and a monitor wait for him. He happily adds to the clutter, as he props up spot sheets, team notes, and ad reads among other things.

On the surface, if you were a Chicago Wolves fan watching this game versus the Texas Stars on FOX+ Chicago or AHLTV, one of your thoughts would probably be that the play-by-play announcer sounds like he has found his calling; as if this has been his destiny his entire life.

While that first part may be true, the second part is anything but.

Shaver is a third-generation sports broadcaster, as his father, Wally, still calls the University of Minnesota’s hockey games on radio, while his grandfather, Al, is in the Hockey Hall of Fame for the work he did with the Minnesota North Stars since they joined the NHL in 1967. Jason was initially uninterested in the idea of being like his father and grandfather.

“When you’re a kid, your first thought isn’t to follow in your father’s footsteps,” Shaver said. “The free games were always nice, but broadcasting never occurred to me.”

Most home Wolves games have the same routine: Shaver and his broadcast partner, color analyst Bill Gardner, have an opening segment where they share their initial thoughts on the matchup taking place. What follows is the in-arena pregame intro, starting lineups, and Chicago legend Wayne Messmer’s rendition of the National Anthem. By then, Jason and Bill are back at their posts, with Bill’s setup mirroring Jason’s, as the tightness of the broadcast space doesn’t allow them to sit next to each other.

Now, it’s no surprise that Jason grew up around the sport of hockey. Not only was it a part of his family bloodline, but he played hockey his entire childhood, even while attending Augsburg University. After some time away from the sport, he eventually decided to put a headset on and give play-by-play a try.

“To my surprise, I actually really enjoyed it,” Shaver said. “I mean, I had to have enjoyed it. Look where I am today!”

He enjoyed it so much that leading into the summer before he graduated, he started bringing a tape recorder to games, some of which he wasn’t even scheduled to call, even practicing doing ad reads.

“If I messed something up, I would have to cut it and do it all over again,” Shaver said. “Welcome to the 90s.”

Jason eventually landed a job in Waterloo calling games for their United States Hockey League team (the Black Hawks), as well as their Northwoods League Baseball team (the Buck). Play-by-play wasn’t the only thing he had to do, though, as he was also the Director of Communications and Public Relations for both clubs. Using his tapes, he got his foot in the door, much like someone he unknowingly emulated and was his eventual predecessor. Pat Foley got his start with the Chicago Blackhawks in the 80s by constantly sending his tapes to their offices consisting of games he called in the stands while at Michigan State. Sandwiched in his two stints with the Blackhawks, he was the voice of the Wolves—during which they won the Calder Cup in 2008.

Shaver’s path to the Wolves was complicated, working for teams some of which are now defunct, while also having to do sales, communications, marketing, and anything else that could be deemed ‘front office.’ He even substituted the ice rink for the larger pitch and called soccer for one summer. With each new team, the other responsibilities slowly started to diminish. Now, with the Wolves, his duties outside of broadcasting are voicing TV commercials, helping with social media and website content; still mostly amenities that fall under the entertainment category.

Gardner on the other hand has been with the Wolves since 2002. He worked with Pat Foley during his time with the Wolves and played for the Blackhawks when Foley began broadcasting for them. When hearing Shaver and Gardner on the call in the present day, their chemistry is palpable, almost as if they’ve been working together since 2008:

“The Stars are currently outshooting the Wolves eight to three,” Shaver recalls after a TV timeout in the middle of the first period, still no score on the board.

“I think the shots are updated now,” Gardner replies. “Wolves have six.”

“…you’re ahead of me then, Bill,” Shaver says with a smirk, which is immediately followed by Gardner’s uncontrolled laughter.

Even with the better part of a decade worth of broadcasting experience coming to Rosemont, Shaver still finds ways to reshape his craft.

For seven seasons, while still with the Wolves, Shaver was a fill-in play-by-play for the Chicago Sky, despite the fact that he had barely called basketball before. Instead of calling it a downgrade from hockey, he used it as one of his best learning experiences.

“When you don’t know a sport as well, you tend to use your color analyst as a learning tool,” said Shaver. “Not only are the fans educated, but so are you.”

Working with Gardner, he’s learned how and when to hand over the torch: “I’ve learned over time to focus on the black and white, which is what the play-by-play should be doing anyway,” Shaver said. “If Bill complains about a call, I don’t have to do the same.”

Sometimes, the line is crossed for a brief period, as Shaver asked, “when are they going to listen to their coaches?” in response to a Wolves forward electing to pass the puck instead of taking the open shot while they were down 2-0.

Other times, it’s understanding the world you’re living in and knowing your audience. Families usually tune into Wolves games, so when noting that two centers who had a faceoff percentage of 67% were going to duel in the dot late in the game, he reluctantly followed it up with, “the kids will like the ‘six-seven’ reference, the Wolves would like a goal.” They wouldn’t get another one, as they surrendered an empty net goal one minute later, and lost to the Texas Stars 3-1.

In eighteen seasons, he has seen it all. He’s watched the Wolves fanbase grow from individual diehard fans into mostly families with children, a change that he says still brings the same energy inside Allstate Arena. He’s seen the American Hockey League shift from a ‘rough and tough,’ ‘brouhaha’ infested league into a league where any line any team puts out has the same skill set. His calls bring all different facets of energy and meaning. One minute, he’s calling a random scoreless regular season game a “[Amir] Miftakhov show early in this hockey game!” The next, he’s calling the final seconds of the Calder Cup Final: “They reclaim their championship glory! The Chicago Wolves are the 2022 Calder Cup Champions, and the celebration is under way!” 

Through it all, win or lose, Shaver loves his job so much that he doesn’t consider calling games a job: “The actual job is preparing for the game; then you get to watch a hockey game for free!”

To his point, if you’re doing what you love, should it ever feel like a job? For Jason, no matter how difficult the game prep is, or how tedious the broadcast setup can be, or even how high of a climb it is on the ladder, he can let it all go from the first countdown to open the show until the moment he closes, bidding you a farewell. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

The post Calling for Free appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Rams kicker Harrison Mevis swept his leg and sent the football through the uprights, ending the Chicago Bears’ season in an overtime Divisional Round defeat. A gut-wrenching end to a truly magical year. 

A year that featured twelve wins, including seven fourth-quarter comebacks, a division title, and the team’s first playoff win in fifteen years, cut short with one kick. 

But as the players trudged off the white field with their heads low, knowing they were just a handful of plays away from victory, they weren’t met with silence or boos. They were met with applause. 

The 60,000 die-hard fans at Soldier Field stuck around on a cold, flurry-filled night to give their team a standing ovation. A thank you to the team for giving them a season they will always remember. 

THE LEADUP

Going into the match, the Chicago Bears came off a miraculous Wildcard victory over their rival Green Bay Packers, 31-27. They trailed 21-3 at halftime and stormed back to take the win, a win unlike any other the city had seen before. 

Their opponent in the next round, the Los Angeles Rams, were believed by many to be a Super Bowl contender, but had barely escaped Carolina with a 34-31 win against the Panthers. 

With this in mind, and the fact that a team from warm California was coming to frigid Illinois, where the temperature would be in single digits, there was much optimism that the Bears could keep their Cinderella run going all the way to the NFC Championship for a date with the Seahawks in Seattle. 

FROZEN IN ICE

Early on, though, this optimism appeared to be misplaced. On their opening possession, the Bears moved quickly down the field with a big catch-and-run from receiver D.J. Moore, but the drive immediately stalled as quarterback Caleb Williams sailed a pass that wound up in the arms of Rams defensive back Cobie Durant for a fourth-down interception. 

The Rams used this momentum to glide down the field with precision passes from MVP candidate Matthew Stafford. They capped off the drive with a touchdown run from running back Kyren Williams that gave them the first points of the night. 

Chicago managed to bounce back, however, as they drove down the field once again and scored on fourth down this time. Williams connected with Moore on a strike to the endzone, evening the contest at seven apiece. 

But after those drives, the scoring slid to a halt. The icy winter air coated the field with a thin layer of snow that stopped both offenses in their tracks. Chicago’s defense finally stepped up after being gashed all season, keeping a high-powered Rams offense in check. 

Sideline view of Soldier Field during the NFC Divisional Round game between the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Michael Reaves / Getty Images).

The Rams pulled out all the stops to ensure they were prepared for the weather. They brought 2,000 pounds of cold-weather equipment, had copious amounts of hot chocolate and chicken broth on the sideline, and some players even jammed cayenne peppers into their socks. Whatever it took to get the win. Despite these efforts, they scored only a field goal for the rest of the half.

Unfortunately for Chicago’s defense, the other side of the ball couldn’t do much better as the hands of Bears receivers turned into solid ice, letting numerous balls fall to the grass. The offense also only managed a field goal, making the score 10-10 at the half. 

BACKS AGAINST THE WALL

The second half was much of the same, a defensive showdown. Punt after punt after punt, neither offense could gain much traction. 

Even after Williams threw another pick at midfield, Los Angeles still punted, unable to gain a single yard. 

For most of the game, Chicago’s defense successfully put pressure on Stafford with defensive backs blitzing off the edge, leading to four sacks and a multitude of errant throws. But in the fourth quarter, they found a way to exploit it. 

Chicago Bears defensive back Kyler Gordon (6) sacks Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during the second quarter of the NFC Divisional Round game on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Matt Marton / Imagn-Images). 

Through short, quick passes, the Rams marched 91 yards down the field and took back the lead with another touchdown run for Kyren Williams. 

The pressure was back on the Bears to mount a scoring drive. They answered the call with a big scramble from Caleb Williams and several bulldozing runs from the duel threat of running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.

But as they got to the goal line, they could not bulldoze through the Rams’ wall of defenders. Another failed fourth-down conversion from just two yards out. Rams football with 3:06 on the clock. 

With their season on the line, the Bears’ defense matched the Rams’. They forced another punt that gave the Bears’ offense one last shot with 1:50 to play at the 50-yard line. 

Once again, a few good plays got the Bears close to paydirt until they got stuck. They faced a 4th and 4 at the Rams’ 14-yard line with 27 seconds remaining. Eerily similar to the end of the second game between the Bears and Packers, in which the Bears faced a 4th and 4 at the North endzone down by seven in the final minute. 

This play was even bigger than that one. The division wasn’t on the line, the season was. Last time, Williams managed to loft a pass to wide-open receiver Jahdae Walker in the endzone for the game-tying score. 

In a year full of miracles like that one, the Bears needed another to keep their hopes alive. The crowd was quiet, nervously waiting.

Williams took the snap and dropped back. Pressure in his face immediately. He scampered backwards as four Rams charged after him. 

Not until he reached the 40-yard line did he finally heave the pass into the endzone. The ball hung in the air for what felt like forever. 

In the corner of the endzone, there were only two players with a shot at the ball. Bears tight end Cole Kmet and Rams defensive back Cobie Durant, who already had two picks on the night.

In a 50/50 battle, Kmet came out the winner.

Touchdown. 

Absolute pandemonium. 

The Chicago Bears had done it again. Another last-second score. With the extra point from kicker Cairo Santos, the game was tied at 17. 

The Rams took a knee, and this game was headed to overtime. 

A QUIET END

Chicago won the coin toss and elected to kick, meaning Los Angeles would get first crack at scoring points. But yet again, they failed. 

Chicago got the ball back, only needing a field goal to win. They sauntered toward the endzone, piling up short passes and runs to midfield again. 

But they got a little too greedy. Williams’ deep pass was intercepted by Rams defensive back Kamren Curl, making a diving catch. On the play, it appeared as though Moore stopped running his route on the play, but regardless of fault, the Rams had the football back, and they made no mistake. 

A couple of dimes from Stafford led the Rams into field-goal range, where kicker Harrison Mevis sent his team to the NFC Championship with a 42-yard boot. A bittersweet climax to an emotional playoff battle and a remarkable season for the Chicago Bears.

Los Angeles Rams kicker Harrison Mevis (92) celebrates with his teammates after kicking the game-winning field goal against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times).

A TIME TO REFLECT

As the year comes to a close, there is much to be happy about in Chicago. The team had accomplished more than even the biggest of fans expected them to and has a bright future ahead with a plethora of stars in the making. 

Quarterback Caleb Williams improved greatly under first-year Head Coach Ben Johnson and young talents such as receiver Luther Burden III and tight end Colston Loveland showed flashes of promise, leading the offense to be one of the best in the NFL.

The defense under first-year Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen, while giving up plenty of yards and points, also led the league in takeaways with veteran safety Kevin Byard tallying a league-leading seven interceptions and young cornerback Nahshon Wright having eight takeaways of his own. 

Johnson stated after the game that, “They all believed all year long that we could find a way to win each and every week.” Even though they could not find a way to win against the Rams, it is clear that a winning culture is beginning to come back to Chicago. The city is hungry. And only time will tell whether this new fire will result in the ultimate prize: the Lombardi trophy. 

The post Out of Magic: Rams Knock Bears Out of Playoffs in Overtime 20-17 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Die-hard Bear fans saw their team erase fourth-quarter deficits, score go-ahead touchdowns, and make last-second stops before, but this… was different. 

The crowd of over 60,000 in Soldier Field dressed head to toe in navy cheered even harder, even longer, even louder. Bars across Chicago could barely contain the noise the patrons made. The floors of households from Evanston to Naperville could barely hang on as the homeowners stomped across. 

This wasn’t just any old win. This was a playoff win. The first one this city had seen in fifteen years. A playoff win, they had to rally from an eighteen-point halftime deficit to win—a playoff win over the team’s most hated rival, the Green Bay Packers. 

A playoff win they’ll never forget.

DIGGING A HOLE

But for most of that night, it looked like the game would be unforgettable for the wrong reasons. As mentioned earlier, Green Bay stormed out to a 21-3 lead in the first half. 

Packers quarterback Jordan Love was on fire, lighting up Chicago’s defense with three touchdown passes in the first half. His receivers zoomed by defensive backs like speed demons on the freeway.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (11) scores a touchdown against Chicago Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (49) during the first half of the game on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Wm. Glasheen / USA Today Network-Wisconsin).

The Bears, on the other hand, were stuck in a ditch with their hazards on. Head Coach Ben Johnson seemed to go back to the philosophy he learned under Dan Campbell in Detroit by going for it on all of the fourth downs. 

Unfortunately, his team only managed to convert one of the fourth attempts, resulting in just three points at the break. The crowd’s energy from the start of the game dissipated. 

The deficit could’ve been even larger had Green Bay’s kicker Brandon McManus not hooked a 55-yard field goal wide of the goal posts as the first half ended. This most certainly would just be a one-time occurrence and have zero impact on the game later. 

RISE AND FALL

The second half presented some opportunities to get back into the game for the Bears, though. The Packer offense, which looked unstoppable in the first half, was stopped repeatedly. Four straight punts to begin the half. 

Slowly, but surely, the Bears managed to claw back into the football game. A couple of field goals from kicker Cairo Santos and a touchdown from running back D’Andre Swift made it 21-16. 

However, the Green Bay offense hummed back to life as rookie receiver Matthew Golden scored his first career touchdown by making Bears defenders look buffoonish on his way to the end zone. 

But then, McManus struck again. He pushed the extra point to the left, which kept the lead at eleven. Chicago wouldn’t need two touchdowns. 

But on their next drive, they would need to convert a massive fourth down. Eight yards to go on their own 43. If they didn’t get this, their hopes were as good as dead.

THE SPARK

Quarterback Caleb Williams took the snap and faced pressure up the middle. He did what he does best and escaped to his left, desperately searching for an answer to his prayer. Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie chased after him and dove at his ankles. Williams hopped into the air and let the pigskin leave his hand. 

It traveled through the air and descended into a sea of blue and white jerseys, where somehow, some way, it wound up in the arms of receiver Rome Odunze for the first down. Through sheer magic, Chicago was still in the game. 

They capped off the drive with a touchdown throw to receiver Olamide Zaccheus and the two-pointer on top to tight end Colston Loveland to bring the Bears to within three. 

Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland (84) makes a catch against Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker (7) during the second half of the game on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (David Banks / Imagn-Images).

The Packers punched back, though. A bomb to receiver Romeo Doubs, and they were deep in Bears territory. With just under three minutes to play, they lined up for another kick, this one to make it a six-point game. 

But, of course, McManus missed. Strike three for Green Bay special teams, and all Chicago needs is a field goal with all the time in the world. 

TO THE SURFACE

They used this time to reach midfield quickly, with only two minutes to play. On 2nd and 4, Williams rolled to his right and fired a pass to receiver D.J. Moore. It fluttered off his fingertips and skipped onto the weathered grass. 

The crowd sighed. He has to catch that. 

He would. 

Two plays later, Moore found himself wide-open for the go-ahead touchdown. 31-27. 1:43 to go. 

ONE LAST GASP

However, the Packers now had all the time in the world and a timeout to boot. A dart to Golden resulted in a fourth-down conversion. A short pass to receiver Romeo Doubs got them on the Bears’ side of the field with 44 ticks remaining, no timeouts left. 

Love found receiver Jayden Reed for a deep completion over the middle, but an injury timeout meant an extra ten seconds ran off the clock. 

22 ticks.

After a few incompletions, the game came down to one final play. Seven. Seconds. Left. 

Every single fan in that stadium was on their feet. Hearts ready to burst out of their chests. They had seen these sorts of games before. The kind where the Packers rip their hearts out at the last possible moment. The 2010 NFC Championship, 4th and 8 in 2013, and the blocked field goal in 2024 are just a few plays that come to mind.

This year’s Chicago defense had prided itself on bending, but never breaking. They would need to hold serve, one more time. 

Love stood in shotgun formation, the snap rocketed back to him, and slipped through his fingers. He picked the ball right back up and scurried around, avoiding the pressuring Bears. 

He directed traffic in the end zone, but couldn’t do so for long. He had to just get the ball there. He lofted the pass, and it was… 

Incomplete. Bears win.

An explosion of joy in Chicago.

Against all odds, the Cardiac Bears delivered another victory. They had saved their best for the end yet again, as they scored 25 of their 31 points in the fourth quarter alone. They looked like a completely different team. 

When asked about his halftime speech, Johnson said that he had shown his players the New England Patriots’ comeback from down 28-3 in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons earlier in the season to remind them that, “This has been done before and rather than saying “woe is me” and “we’re in a hole”, it’s more this is a great opportunity for us to turn this thing around into a game that we’ll never forget.”

They certainly did that. In a season where all three matchups against the Packers were battles that came down to the wire, the third chapter would be the one that proved to be the biggest of them all. 

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) leaves the field in celebration after the game against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Matt Marton / Imagn-Images).

GAME BALLS

Colston Loveland: His second game ball of the season for catching 8 passes for 137 years as a rookie in first career playoff game, the first rookie tight end with 100+ receiving yards in a playoff game since the Eagles’ Keith Jackson in 1988.

Montez Sweat: His second of the season for notching a sack and consistently pressuring the passer in the second half. He helped keep his team in the game in the second half.

Caleb Williams: His second game ball of the season for throwing for over 360 yards with a pair of touchdowns. He made the plays when his team needed it.

NOT FINISHED YET

This Wildcard win means that the Bears will be advancing onto the next round, where they will host the Los Angeles Rams, coming off a shootout win in Carolina. 

The Rams are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and the Bears’ defense will have its hands full trying to slow down their offense. 

Chicago’s already used a lot of magic to get to this point, and no one would be surprised if there’s none left in the hat. But if a few bounces go their way, and the game’s close in the fourth quarter, they might just be able to find that little extra to survive and advance.

The post Good, Better, Best: Bears Steal Victory from Packers 31-27 appeared first on KRUI Radio.